Why Do Students Misbehave?

– A Case Study

A project was undertaken in which 6 interviews were conducted, with 4 females ranging in age from
18-40, and 2 males, aged 23 and 42. Of these interviewees, 2 were fellow Masters of Secondary
Teaching students at WSU, 1 was a casual teacher still undertaking their final semester of Masters of
Secondary Teaching at a different university. 2 were parents unaffiliated with the education sector,
who have children of post-secondary school age, and 1 respondent was a recent high school
graduate. The respondents were asked a single question “Why do you think students misbehave at
school?” and then asked clarifying questions when required. The clarifying questions differed in each
interview. Analysing the responses from all 6 interviews, some emerging themes can be identified.
All 6 of the interviewees identified that students misbehave in the classroom due to the following
factors:

 Misbehaving students do so because they are either under or overstimulated by the

coursework given to them, commonly referred to as ‘boredom’.
 To aid student engagement, teachers must be flexible in their lessons and link content to
real-world situations.
 That students face many external pressures from peers, their home situation or other
sources which may exacerbate misbehaviour.
 Peers play an influential role in student misbehaviour as students may misbehave to gain
social recognition form their peers or to gain attention from them. In this situation, it is
paramount for the teacher to respond swiftly and appropriately to diffuse or prevent the
behaviour.
 It is the role of the teacher to provide coursework and resources that are engaging and
appropriate for students’ diverse learning needs while being mindful of outside pressures
influencing student behaviour.
 Punishment systems such as detention and suspension are controversial and 5 of the 6
interviewees agreed that they do not work, as they simply allow students to disengage from
schooling either by being allowed to stay home (suspension) or through not being expected
to make up lost work when in detention. Several interviewees agreed that community
service within the school such as trash pick-up may be more appropriate, and that detention
when required should be afternoon detention so as not to detract from learning or lunch
time. One interviewee also mentioned that detention can be useful. In particular, whole
class detention can sometimes be effective, as when students’ misbehaviour begins to
impact their peers, they may receive negative social recognition from them; which can
influence students’ decision to modify their behaviour.
It is interesting to note that most responses from interviewees were similar despite the differing use
of guiding questions for each interview. When asked where they gained their perceptions of student
misbehaviour, most responded with ‘from my own experiences as a secondary student’. One
exception being an interviewee working as a casual teacher who cited her personal experience as a
student and her classroom teacher experience.

To better understand the reasoning behind the responses gathered from the interviews, a literature
review was conducted of 5 papers, all of which note that the most difficult aspect of conducting
research into the topic of student misbehaviour in schools is to objectively define student
misbehaviour and their manifestations. After reviewing the following papers; for the purpose of this
assessment, student misbehaviour is taken to mean ‘any behaviour displayed by students that
causes their classroom learning to be disrupted’

(Alter, P., et.al, 2013) notes that most research into common behavioural issues in schools relies
heavily on the use of office discipline referrals (ODR’s); which is seen as problematic as ODR’s are only
made for serious behavioural incidents and may not present an accurate representation of
behavioural issues in the everyday classroom. (Alter, P., et.al, 2013) then goes on to suggest that
examining teachers’ perceptions of classroom behaviour may give researchers a far more accurate
picture. It is then suggested that teachers perceive the most problematic classroom behaviour to be
off task behaviour such as talking out turn. This is seen as a gateway behaviour that leads to more
serious behavioural issues.

(Crawshaw, M., 2015) conducted a literature review of 20 research papers focusing on teacher’s
perceptions of student misbehaviour in secondary schools over the period 1983-2013. The findings
of which align closely with (Alter, P., et.al, 2013) in that off task behaviour is considered by teachers
to be most problematic. Perhaps different results would have been obtained if (Crawshaw, M., 2015)
had conducted a primary investigation into the topic, then compared the data to literature, as (Alter,
P., et.al, 2013) has done.

Following on from this, (Sullivan, A. M., et al. 2014) raises the point that disengaged or
uncooperative students; that is, those exhibiting off-task behaviours, are less likely to succeed
academically compared to responsive and engaged students. (Sullivan, A. M., et al. 2014) come to
the conclusion that reengagement of students exhibiting problem behaviours is paramount to their
success and is more effective than discipline in correcting problem behaviours. Linking this to
(McGrath, K. F. and P. Van Bergen, 2015), students can be reengaged through the fostering of
positive student-teacher relationships.

(McGrath, K. F. and P. Van Bergen, 2015) identifies student-teacher relationships as an important

part of students’ school experience. Positive student-teacher relationships foster belonging and
motivation in students, decreasing the likelihood of misbehaviour. (McGrath, K. F. and P. Van
Bergen, 2015) argues that “student-teacher relationships influence peer acceptance, as such
observations may inspire similar interactions”. That is, if a student sees positive interactions
between another student and the teacher, they are more likely to emulate those interactions with
other students in an attempt to gain acceptance from peers.

On a different note, it is important to acknowledge that problem behaviours manifest due to

external factors unrelated to the classroom. (Lin, W. and C, Yi., 2015) suggest that there may be a
link between unhealthy sleep patterns and behavioural issues in adolescents. (Lin, W. and C, Yi.,
2015) go so far as to say that unhealthy sleep patterns are linked to substance abuse. While
researchers may be beginning to recognise sleep as a factor contributing to misbehaviour, there are
a multitude of other factors that may be contributing to a student’s behavioural issues, including
instability at home or bullying.

When comparing the literature reviewed above to the responses from the interviews, it is clear that
the interview responses align closely with the literature. For example, one interview respondent
stated, “I did better in classes where I liked the teacher and the teacher took the time to understand
me.” This is in line with the work of (McGrath, K. F. and P. Van Bergen, 2015) and (Sullivan, A. M., et
al. 2014), and their stance that student- teacher relationships have a profound effect on academic
performance. All 6 interview respondents mentioned that students may exhibit off-task behaviour,
cited by (Alter, P., et.al, 2013) and (Crawshaw, M., 2015) as the most common form of classroom
misbehaviour, due to ‘boredom’ i.e., under or overstimulation . To examine this concept in a deeper
and more academic light, one may look to the work of (Demanet, J. and M. Van Houtte, 2012) which
suggests that students’ academic achievement is also related to teacher expectations and effort. For
example, if a teacher has high expectations of a student and consistently puts in high levels of effort
to ensure students achieve these expectations; they are more likely to achieve them. When teacher
expectations and effort are lower, students feel that their goals, or the goals set for them by the
teacher are unachievable; resulting in misbehaviour.

Furthermore, one respondent, a recent high school graduate, stated that “rather than detention or
suspension, schools should create opportunities for assisted learning as a way of reengaging
misbehaving students in their learning”. (Sullivan, A. M., et al. 2014) mentioned the importance of
reengagement for misbehaving students, and this interview response is a clear example that the
observations of (Sullivan, A. M., et al. 2014) resonate with students as well as teachers.

Another common theme across all 6 of the interview responses is the influence of peers on
misbehaviour. The interview respondents believed that students may misbehave to gain attention
from their peers as a way to gain social recognition. (McGrath, K. F. and P. Van Bergen, 2015)
suggest that positive student-teacher relationships may give students a model to replicate when
interacting with peers, thus encouraging positive behaviours through the same concept of gaining
social recognition. A student’s peers are unlikely to offer social reward for misbehaviour if they have
seen more positive behaviour modelled by the teacher.

On the other hand, some of the interview responses are inconsistent with the literature reviewed.
None of the 6 respondents mentioned sleep as a factor in classroom misbehaviour, yet (Lin, W. and
C, Yi., 2015) link a lack of sleep in students to classroom misbehaviour and substance abuse. In
addition, one interesting interview response stands out from the rest in that it was suggested that
instead of detention and suspension as punishments for misbehaviour, programs like yoga and
meditation may prove effective in changing students’ behaviour. While none of the 5 articles
reviewed earlier in this document cover this topic, there is a significant amount of literature showing
that meditation and mindfulness can be effective behaviour management strategies. These include
the work of (Black & Fernando, 2013) and (Black, Milam & Sussman, 2009) whose studies both show
significant improvement in behaviour when mindfulness and meditation programs are introduced.

The themes presented in literature and the interviews provide an interesting insight into the views
of former students, parents, beginning teachers and current teachers alike. As such, the findings of
this project have had implications for one’s praxis as a future teacher.

Based on the findings of this project, it is clear that students need to feel cared for and understood
in order to succeed. Not only are teacher-student relationships paramount in creating the
aforementioned understanding, good teacher-student relationships leave lasting impacts on
students; as several interview respondents stated that they learned best when they had a teacher
who took the time to understand them. It is in the best interests of both teacher and students for
the teacher to expend time and effort in cultivating these positive relationships as they are
important to student wellbeing and act as a preventative measure against misbehaviour.
Furthermore, teachers must do their best to create resources and coursework that cater to the
interests and learning needs of their students in order to keep students engaged in learning.
The testing of prior knowledge before beginning a lesson may allow a teacher to cater their
resources and lesson content accordingly. A teacher may also spend a few minutes with each
student in their classroom over the course of a lesson, or several lessons to keep track of their
learning and build rapport in order to build the positive teacher-student relationships mentioned
above.

While there is little teachers can do to limit external factors from having an effect on classroom
behaviour, teachers should be mindful of the problems with peers, or at home, work, or otherwise
that students may be having. This would also be considered part of the cultivation of positive
teacher-student relationships. In addition, the influence of peers on misbehaviour may be reduced
by the strategic use of seating plans in the classroom.

On the subject of handling misbehaviour in the classroom when it does occur, detention and
suspension as punishment should be avoided. It is suggested by the literature and interview
responses that positive reinforcers, namely assisted learning or behaviour modification techniques
such as mindfulness should be used instead as a way of encouraging students to exhibit more
positive behaviours.

In conclusion, the findings of this project lead one to understand that the creation of a positive
learning environment by the teacher is paramount in influencing not only student behaviour, but
teacher and student wellbeing as well.
References
Alter, P., Walker, J., & Landers, E. (2013). Teachers’ Perceptions of Students’ Challenging Behavior
and the Impact of Teacher Demographics. Education And Treatment Of Children, 36(4), 51-69.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/etc.2013.0040

Black, D., & Fernando, R. (2013). Mindfulness Training and Classroom Behavior Among Lower-
Income and Ethnic Minority Elementary School Children. Journal Of Child And Family
Studies, 23(7), 1242-1246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9784-4

Black, D., Milam, J., & Sussman, S. (2009). Sitting-Meditation Interventions Among Youth: A Review
of Treatment Efficacy. PEDIATRICS, 124(3), e532-e541. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2008-
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Crawshaw, M. (2015). Secondary school teachers’ perceptions of student misbehaviour: A review of

international research, 1983 to 2013. Australian Journal Of Education, 59(3), 293-311.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0004944115607539

Demanet, J., & Van Houtte, M. (2012). Teachers' attitudes and students' opposition. School
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Education, 28(6), 860-869. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.03.008

Lin, W., & Yi, C. (2014). Unhealthy Sleep Practices, Conduct Problems, and Daytime Functioning
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10964-014-0169-9

McGrath, K., & Van Bergen, P. (2015). Who, when, why and to what end? Students at risk of negative
student–teacher relationships and their outcomes. Educational Research Review, 14, 1-17.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2014.12.001

Sullivan, A., Johnson, B., Owens, L., & Conway, R. (2014). Punish Them or Engage Them? Teachers’
Views of Unproductive Student Behaviours in the Classroom. Australian Journal Of Teacher
Education, 39(6). http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n6.6